The US is investigating TikTok owners for possible espionage of journalists

TikTok is under investigation by the US Department of Justice for surveillance of US citizens, including several journalists, by Chinese parent company ByteDance.

The investigation began late last year after the company admitted that its employees improperly obtained the data of US TikTok users, including that of two reporters, the New York Times reported.

Beijing-based ByteDance is being investigated by the department’s Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI, citing a person with knowledge of the situation, the report said.

The confirmation of the investigation comes as the US moves closer to a possible ban on TikTok in the country, as it is seen as a “threat to national security”.

US lawmakers have expressed concern that TikTok could provide China with a back door to US citizens’ personal information.

This week, TikTok revealed that the Biden administration has demanded that the app’s Chinese owners divest their stake in the app or risk a potential US ban.

The federal criminal investigation was previously reported by Forbes magazine, which the journalist said is one of the people whose records are being tracked by TikTok.

Last December, TikTok admitted that its employees had accessed the private data of two journalists without their knowledge as part of a company investigation.

The parent company of the popular video app said its employees misused the journalist’s data as part of a failed attempt to investigate leaks of company information.

Employees looked at IP addresses of journalists to see if they were in the same location as employees suspected of leaking confidential information.

Four ByteDance employees involved in the incident were fired, including two in China and two in the United States, while company officials said they would take additional steps to protect user data.

On Thursday, the Chinese foreign ministry responded that the United States has not yet provided evidence that TikTok poses a threat to national security. Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a daily briefing that the United States should stop cracking down on such companies.

CFIUS, a powerful national security agency, unanimously advised ByteDance to divest TikTok in 2020. In late 2020, under pressure from then-President Trump, ByteDance tried unsuccessfully to strike a deal with Walmart and Oracle to transfer TikTok’s US assets to a new company.

“If protecting national security is the goal, a divestiture does not solve the problem: a change of ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flow or access,” a Tiktok spokesperson said in a statement.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will appear before the US Congress next week. It is not clear whether the Chinese government would agree to a sale, and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last week, the White House supported legislation by a dozen senators to give President Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok and other foreign technology owned by China if they pose a threat to national security.

Meanwhile, the UK and New Zealand have banned employees from using TikTok on government devices.

The British government this week did not rule out a total TikTok ban due to “security risks”.

Metro.co.uk reached out to TikTok for comment.